Pot not hot: weed losing its cool

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SMOKING a joint is no longer cool among the young, according to
a new poll, which found one in three regard it as unacceptable.

A study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre found
marijuana had become socially unfashionable in the same way as
cigarettes.

"Clearly, it's not as acceptable as it once was to be stoned,"
said Paul Dillon, a spokesman for the centre at the University of
NSW.

The survey found that although almost half of those aged under
30 had friends who used cannabis, one-third said their peer group
found its use unacceptable.

Of the 1500 adult Australians surveyed, three in four felt
smoking dope was dangerous or very dangerous, and half thought it
could trigger schizophrenia or anxiety disorders.

About 40 per cent believed marijuana was always addictive, and
one in five believed it was always a gateway to harder drugs.
Sixty-eight per cent thought cannabis use could lead to other
crimes.

The results, published in the latest Pfizer Health
Report, reflect a shift in attitudes, even among people who are
more likely to come into contact with the drug.

"In the 1970s the people who got stoned were cool but now
younger people just see a gang of guys who sit around smoking a
bong, eating a pizza and watching television," Mr Dillon said.

"There's a general perception they're just 'stoners' and that's
a real change."

Mr Dillon said the findings proved the success of school drug
programs, which focus on immediate social impacts of the drug
rather than long-term health problems. The study also suggests
young people are aligning marijuana with tobacco.

"Smoking cigarettes is now realistically unacceptable in this
country and it might just be that that same attitude has jumped
across to cannabis."

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